Summer Selections

Summer is coming to an end, and no better way to celebrate the outdoorsy season than with a pool party in lovely San Diego with a vegan menu. Several women who follow veggie diets enjoyed an afternoon of snacks and swimming in Poway.

The group called Veg Gals was started around the year 2001 by a San Diego woman who later moved to Oceanside. After a year or so without meetings, the potlucks have been resurrected by Teagen McClain, local activist, and her mother Rose McClain, a personal chef. They have about 40 people on their email list and men have been known to sometimes attend. We were lucky to have the company of knowledgeable veggie people like local author Janice Stanger, Tracy Childs of Veg-Appeal and others.

The group is all about getting together with people with like interests and sharing delicious, healthy food. We filled our plates with a red quinoa black bean salad, tabouli with cucumber, a bean and corn salad from The McDougall Quick and Easy Cookbook, rice spaghetti with cashew alfredo sauce, applesauce pecan muffins, fresh strawberries, and more.

Veg Gals

Besides the vegan menu, we shared meaningful conversation about the pros and cons of social media, animals adopted from Friends of County Animal Shelters, and the many upcoming veggie events in San Diego, including the Lean and Green Kids “Organic” Garden Party and others. Don’t miss all the goings-on during San Diego Veg Week.

To boot, we had entertainment provided by friendly tomato-eating dogs. What more could one ask for on a warm late summer day?

With John Salley

I had a blast at PlanetFest 2010- the second annual Vegan Earth Day in Orange County on June 27, put on by Bob Linden of GoVeganRadio and filled with vegetarian leaders. It was a sunny day and a good flow of people attended throughout the day. Many booths provided educational info, and delicious veggie food was in abundance as were inspirational folks in the movement.

NBA champion and wellness guru John Salley was one of the speakers who also stopped to say hello to numerous people intrigued by his fame and size. He told me he was 7′ tall.

Did you know factory farming was an emerging problem in Africa? Anteneh Roba, M.D., of International Fund for Africa, was a unique and dedicated speaker who pointed out the parallels between cruelty to animals and human rights violations. Roba has also started an Ethiopian Vegan Association!

Dr. Elliot Katz of In Defense of Animals and NFL superstar Tony Gonzalez were other speakers, and live music by many bands was part of the lineup as well.

Food was provided by various organizations and restaurants such as: da Vinci’s Delight (vegan quiches), Bodhi Tree Vegetarian Cafe, a new veggie trailer called SeaBirds which made my yummy mango veggie burger, and Strictly Vegan (Jamaican jerk and curry dishes). For dessert, Stuff I Eat sold sweet potato pies, and Maggie Mudd dished up enormous servings of vegan ice cream.

Last Chance for Animals, The Living Temple and others displayed healthy and eco-friendly products for sale.

There was something for everyone, whether a longtimer or new to the veggie movement. If you are not active yet, why not become one of your community’s vegetarian leaders? Help plan events, enjoy networking, and promote conscious products — among many other ways to get involved.

I grew up in Los Angeles and left just after high school, never looking back other than visiting loved ones. Recently, however, I have been enjoying a new side of L.A. through sampling regional vegan cuisine and attending events.

This weekend I had a great time at the Spork Foods West Hollywood Grand Opening Party, co-hosted by Rory Freedman of  New York Times #1 bestseller Skinny Bitch fame. Freedman is also the humble author of many other books and workout videos who has converted many people to veganism through exposing the horrors of the food industry and encouraging healthier eating.

Spork Foods, a vegan business run by two sisters, moved into the West Hollywood space less than two months ago, where they will host cooking classes and parties along with yoga, and offer their space to the vegan community. Upcoming projects include an October culinary trip to Italy and online cooking classes.

The Spork sisters and many other people I met at the packed event were friendly and active in the veggie community, including Lex who organizes the rapidly growing Los Angeles Vegan Drinks meetup, for which he assures drinks to be consumed are vegan by researching on Barnivore. Prabhat Gautam of Positive Television always has many exciting vegan events up his sleeve. Eco-friendly face painting (some avocado-based) by The Compassionate Clown Company was fun, and it’s nice to know they do not work fairs that exploit animals.

The food was of course a highlight — a tasty sundried tomato dip (pictured) and corn fritters with truffle aioli, followed by great Mexican chocolate almond bark and a vanilla spiced cupcake with whipped cocoa frosting. With a growing contingency of passionate people networking at events like this, vegan cuisine is not only becoming increasingly mainstream but more delicious.

Ryan Altman of Alternative Healing Network

As spring sunshine makes an appearance, so does the opportunity to attend more outings. There were so many veggie health and similar events the last few weeks it would be hard to attend them all, at least in San Diego.

We had a visit from the vegan comedian Leo Flowers who cracked us up at LeStat’s and will be back May 22 (details to come). The Cultivating Food Justice Conference looked captivating, with speakers including activist author Raj Patel and Barry Logan of La Milpa Organica Farm in Escondido, known for their great veggie potlucks.

There was a Vegetarian Day at the Library event with food-tasting, a vegan bake sale, and speakers including Janice Stanger, Veg-Appeal, and others. Activist Anthony Marr spoke at Evolution as part of the San Diego Vegans Meetup.

Vibrant Viva Pops

This year The Healing Arts Festival joined forces with the Roots Fest on Adams Avenue. Put on by the Alternative Healing Network, the festival included yoga, capoeira and musical performances, along with informational tables on massage, acupuncture, reiki and other non-traditional health techniques. I liked the samples of soaps and lotions from Dr. Bronner’s. A few veggie food booths served up nutritious meals — a nice change from the funnel cakes and Cajun hot links the Roots Fest offered.

On the way out I passed a wonderful demo of the soon-to-be (on Wednesdays) Adams Avenue Farmer’s Market and of course stopped at Viva Pops, rife with vegan popsicles great for hot days. I tried the Green Fix, a tasty popsicle that is a concoction of refreshingly healthful chard, kale, spinach and more.

For new veggies or long-timers, veggie health events are a perfect way to network, get inspired and have some fun! San Francisco and other famously veggie-friendly cities boast even more events than what San Diego has been offering of late so be sure to participate.

The 40th Anniversary of Earth Day was a big success at Earth Fair in San Diego. This was the 20th year of the free, enormous event held at Balboa Park, with approximately 70,000 people coming out in support of our planet. For several years now, regardless of the weather the day before, the sun seems to shine strongly for Earth Day.

Eco-friendly shopping was also ever-present, whether the beautiful Balinese “upcycled” clothes from Soul Stylezs or reusable sandwich bags made of vinyl. There were also attractive gift bags that could take the place of disposable wrapping paper, environmentally-friendly handkerchiefs, canvas shoes, and many other items. People looking for planet-friendly cars were in hog heaven.

There were many delicious veggie food choices beneficial to our health and the Earth. One could sample organic  juices, coconut milk and soy ice cream sandwiches. Righteously Raw’s organic raw cacao bars with acai, maca and other flavors were a highlight.

There were Mexican and Filipino food stands, affordable vegan dishes like enchiladas from Govinda’s, and Peace Pies served their beloved raw meals. Speakers including raw foods expert Mimi Kirk, yoga and energy healer Jerome Gross, and other local food and health experts.

Art Miles Mural Project was on hand bringing people together to paint murals for global peace and harmony. They are planning an amazing international event in Egypt this Fall with many murals — contact them for more info.

At San Diego’s Earth Day, the crowds can be overwhelming for some. Public transportation is encouraged, but the numerous cars transporting people to the event and loads of trash (despite the recycling containers in many spots) contradict the point of the event. However, the eco-friendly shopping, great bands, healthy food and fun hopefully inspire the thousands of people to make a difference for years to come.

L.A. Veggie Activists

A group of about 15 volunteers met on Feb. 20 to discuss their newly formed Advisory Board of Compassion Over Killing (COK) in Los Angeles.  Over lunch at SunPower Natural Cafe in Studio City and guided by Prabhat Gautam of Positive Television, they discussed online marketing,  outreach to restaurants and schools, fundraisers, and more.

Devin Murphy, a COK Board member, explained that in L.A. there was a vacuum — more outreach and focus on farm animal issues were needed. The group will build a strong vegan community by bringing people from different areas of L.A. into one place, and tapping into the existing vegetarian community that is not yet active.  They also want to connect people from different high schools, colleges, universities and meetup groups. The L.A. region has many vegetarian and vegan restaurants, but the Board plans to increase vegan options at non-vegan restaurants.

Kale Shakes!

They’d like to do entertaining video outreach that entices people with vegan and vegetarian foods rather than depressing factory farm footage.

As we finished our meal, we had fun talking with Ronald Jackson, one of the owners of SunPower Natural Cafe, open less than a year. Everything but two menu items can be made raw, and they make sure nothing tastes like being deprived, since the food is super flavorful, he said. Surprisingly, more than half the customers are meat eaters, and 25% of them follow the raw foods diet.

The waiter said people come from all over for the sweet kale shake.  It was an enormous serving rich with cashews, agave, and banana.  Jackson told us one customer came in 52 days in a row for that shake!

People enjoyed their veggie burgers and other meals too. SunPower Natural Cafe made a great meeting place for inspired veggie people to come together and create change.

Brilliant Broccoli

The veggie movement is growing fast, with numerous innovative people making their mark, and I wanted to point out a few businesses in L.A. specializing in preparing and delivering vegan cuisine, as well as educating others.

One such creative person is Christy Morgan and her business called The Blissful Chef. They prepare vegan macrobiotic food for eco-friendly Los Angeles celebrities, and air cooking videos. In addition they hold vegan cooking classes and private consultations. Learn how to prepare  weekend brunches (crepes without egg or dairy are not something vegans find every day!) or tempeh, the healthy protein-rich soyfood. Meal delivery is another part of the Blissful Chef’s service.

Also in Southern California is an affordable weekly meal delivery service called Vegin’ Out and owned by two brothers. Each week they’ll deliver 9-10 meals to your home or office – if you live outside the greater L.A. region, they can ship next day. The food is about 75% organic. Doesn’t the Ziti Bolognese — using tofu instead of ground beef — sound amazing, with a White Bean Salad, followed by Orange Chocolate Chip cookies? Vegin’ Out also caters events.

There seems to be a trend in sibling-owned vegan businesses in L.A. Spork Foods, run by a couple of sisters, also offers catering, and gives cooking classes on gluten-free recipes, aphrodisiac cuisine, and homemade pizza, among others. I would probably drive from San Diego for The Grilled Portobello, Spinach, and Pine Nut Cheese Pizza on a Spelt Crust! With a focus on local, organic and seasonal foods, Spork also does food consultations, so if you are new to veggie food and need someone to help shop and replace your pantry with healthy goods like nutritional yeast, spelt flour, coconut water and such, call Spork Foods.

Salad Time

For L.A. restaurants serving vegetarian or vegan cuisine, a comprehensive listing can be found at the Vegetarians in Paradise site, along with information on L.A. vegetarian events and natural foods stores.

Photos by Jeremy Pearl.

Vegan Indulgence

I cannot say enough positive things about the cookies and other amazing vegan products, many of which are gluten-free, that I have tried from Sun Flour Baking Company. My friend who is not a vegetarian sounded like a line in a commercial after trying the treats:  “The cookies are so delicious I can’t believe they don’t have gluten or eggs or anything like that.”

If you are in the mood for some vegan dessert, you may like my favorites, the Cinnamon or Peanut Butter Shortbread cookies. It is a great feeling to be able to eat desserts without feeling tired and overstuffed afterward, which typically happens for many people eating desserts with more processed sugars, wheat and dairy.

Sun Flour Baking Company was started by Rey Ortega in 1997. His childhood was filled with illness — headaches, bone pains and an Addison’s disease diagnosis — health issues which all disappeared after he became a vegan in 1993.

The vegan dessert products can be found online or at natural foods stores, or you may find them on certain airlines – just ask for vegan or gluten-free cookies. With Ortega’s new Hip Monkey cookie line said to have a buttery flavor, Sun Flour will start making their way into coffeehouses, schools, delis, smoothie places, and so on. Ortega is open to recommendations for places to sell the delicious goods. As for the future plans for the company, Ortega says ideas are never-ending.

In addition to running his company of 5 employees based out of Sacramento, Ortega attends vegan events when possible, or donates cookies if he is unable to attend. Some of his favorite events include the solar-powered Worldfest in Los Angeles, and the Animal Acres and Farm Sanctuary Galas.

On top of all that, Ortega is the business manager for the talented  Dan Piraro who created the cartoon Bizarro.

The next time you throw a party, whether having a small group of friends for dinner or a large gathering, you may want to indulge in some healthy vegan dessert from Sun Flour Baking Company, adding some Piraro books to the coffee table for a fun touch.

Thankful for Tofurky

This year with vegetarian and vegan cuisine in the limelight, even a holiday strongly tied to a traditional turkey meal is being looked at through new lenses by Martha Stewart and NBC. With vegan recipes now widely accessible on the Internet and vegetarian cookbooks sprouting up all over, Thanksgiving has surprisingly turned into a rather enjoyable holiday for veggie people.

In San Diego we are very fortunate to have a wonderful vegan Thanksgiving event put on each year by Animal Protection and Rescue League (APRL). Yesterday the Fifth Annual Turkey-Free Thanksgiving Potluck was bursting at the seams with over 200 enthusiastic people bearing delicious vegan dishes.

For dinner we feasted on not only the stuffing, salads, stir-fries, and such brought by attendees but also gobbled up vegan dishes donated by Tofurky (a great turkey alternative),  Pokez, Rebecca’s Coffee House,  zpizza, and other local businesses.

The minute the event volunteers brought out the dessert, a long line of excited people formed.  Thanksgiving favorites like apple, pecan and pumpkin pies were joined by many treats including muffins, Uncle Eddie’s Cookies, baklava, and raw, vegan ice cream donated by Tomberlies.

While eating, the crowd heard updates from Bryan Pease, who announced APRL’s plans to work more closely with Compassion Over Killing. Pease said this year people are more receptive to vegan ways, caring about cruelty to animals raised in factory farms, and that politicians are seeing issues they can no longer ignore.

The event also had entertainment, with Bob Green playing piano and Harmony Cohen-Wolff performing sacred belly fusion and firedance to songs that pay homage to animals.

My only complaint about the evening was that it went by much too fast!

Let Them Eat Veggies

From left: Kramer, Redcross, me, and Scott

Vegan and vegetarian cookbooks are all the rage now, but How it all Vegan, with 1/4 million copies sold, is one of the originals known for making vegan cuisine accessible and easy for newcomers. The book’s 10th anniversary was celebrated at a benefit held by Compassion Over Killing and Positive Television. Sarah Kramer, who co-wrote the cookbook with Tanya Barnard, was honored at the event held at 2HeadedHorse Production/Art Studio in Los Angeles, which has recently been hosting numerous vegan events.

Kramer’s sassy, down-to-earth personality shined as she autographed books and 2010 GO VEGAN wall calendars full of fun photographs. Many dedicated folks making their mark in the vegan world attended, including Shaun Monson who made the film Earthlings, Stephanie Redcross who markets vegan and vegetarian businesses via Vegan Mainstream, Carolyn Scott of Healthy Voyager,  and others.

After writing four vegetarian cookbooks, Kramer told the group she will pursue different projects. With mixed feelings, she discussed with the audience that which can’t be ignored — veganism is suddenly becoming a fad, and vegan and vegetarian cookbooks are everywhere, including the top 100 list on Amazon.com. Kramer is concerned the conversation is more about getting skinny than about helping the animals.

“Ellen’s talking about it and Oprah’s talking about it (veganism) – it’s freaking me out,” she said.

Still, the attendees enjoyed the company and inspiration of Kramer and others sharing the same passion, and dined on delicious vegan cuisine – some of it raw – provided by Veggie Grill, Happy Veggie, Cinnamon Vegetarian Restaurant, The Spot, and SunPower Natural Cafe.

Kramer Jokes with the Audience